


Morbid Curiosity

by avesnongrata



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Ardat-Yakshi, F/F, Kink Negotiation, Roleplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 20:20:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11539728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avesnongrata/pseuds/avesnongrata
Summary: Shepard wonders what it might be like to sleep with an Ardat-Yakshi. Liara helps her find out.





	Morbid Curiosity

"Identification?"

Shepard stares down the krogan for a few seconds before transferring her information from her omni-tool to his. He steps aside with no more than a grunt. The bulkhead door hisses open, then snaps shut behind her, leaving her in a silent, empty antechamber. A handful of seconds stretches out in anticipation before the second set of doors cracks open, airlock style.

The moment the seal breaks, light and noise come pulsing through. Shepard steps over the threshold and into the club – _Hellfire_ or _Inferno_ or something along those lines. She doesn't remember. All of these noisy, crowded clubs look and sound and smell the same: the same rotating array of colored lights, the same lithe, twisting silhouettes, the same bone-rattling bass lines.

_Why can't there be more dive bars,_ she wonders to herself. _Mediocre beer, a few rounds of pool, music you can talk over…_ But no. That's not the vibe she's going for tonight anyway. With a deep, centering breath, she wades into the mass of overheated bodies, heading in the general direction of the bar.

Her eyes sweep the room, partially out of habit but mostly with particular purpose. She scans the dark corners of the booths on the far wall, takes in as many faces as she can through the strobe lights on the dance floor. No one familiar catches her attention, and yet she can distinctly feel eyes burning into the back of her head.

_Perfect._

Shepard props an elbow on the bar and shouts her drink order to the bartender, a harried-looking asari with asymmetrical facial markings. She gives Shepard a furtive glance up and down before nodding and measuring out a brightly colored liquor. She slides the glass across the bar, and Shepard takes it without another word.

The glass is cold, already sweating in her hand. She takes a distracted sip, letting the ice and the condensation cool the burn of the alcohol and the heat of the club. It's a losing battle.

The pounding music shifts from one song into another as she edges her way through limbs and bodies, making her way toward the center of the dance floor. As if on cue, an exceptionally tall turian with a roguish gouge in her maxillary plate materializes behind her. Her mandibles twitch in greeting. Shepard only nods back, allowing the turian to drape her hands over her hips. It takes them a moment to find their rhythm, though her partner doesn't seem to mind the way Shepard shuffles more than dances along with the music. Most of Shepard's drink and all of the space between them disappears in the time it takes a few songs to surge past. The turian is bold and handsy, and Shepard matches her grope for grope. Even under the dizzying strobe lights, Shepard can't seem to shake the feeling she's being watched, closely. She can practically taste her pulse as it thunders in her throat.

The end of another song bleeds into the start of the next. Shepard makes some excuse to extract herself, which the turian accepts with a curt nod before dissolving into the crowd. She drifts in the opposite direction.

The restroom is poorly lit but mercifully quiet once the door swings shut behind her. She lets the water run cold over her wrists, splashes some on her face.

When her eyes return to the mirror, she nearly flinches. She hadn't heard anyone else enter the bathroom, yet piercing blue eyes stare back at her.

Liara's voice is low, but the way it reverberates through Shepard's chest cavity puts the club's music to shame.

"Having fun?"

 

* * *

 

 

**Earlier**

"I have an idea." Shepard's voice cuts through their post-coital haze. She trails light circles over the glossy scales between Liara's shoulder blades, trying to seem nonchalant. "It might be a little odd."

Liara nuzzles a little closer under her chin. "Hmm?"

"Do you think we could try to roleplay sometime?"

"What's so odd about that?" Liara laughs softly. "I really enjoyed our last commando/outlaw evening, if you recall."

"Oh, I recall." A dopey grin lights up her face at the memory of Liara, that little black outfit, and those handcuffs. She probably still has bruises from that night.

"What did you have in mind?" Liara prompts, refocusing Shepard's attention.

"Like I said, it's a little odd."  

Liara, sensing her hesitation, props herself up so she can look into Shepard's eyes. She strokes her cheek, sending out feelings of gentle encouragement. "Try me."

Shepard meets her gaze, albeit bashfully. "I was thinking about Ardat-Yakshi."

Liara's hand stills abruptly. "What about it?"

Shepard resists the urge to squirm. She'd brought it up; there was no point backing out now. "I was wondering what it might be like to, you know, _be with_ someone like that."

"It's a horrifying genetic condition, Shepard," Liara scolds, taken aback.

"I know, I know! Believe me, I don't mean to take it lightly. It's just that," she fidgets with the edge of the sheets, "after the mission to take out Morinth..."

Liara purses her lips. "You want me to hunt you? In public?"

"Well, that too."

"You want to roleplay a scenario where I destroy your neural pathways and kill you during sex?" She stares at Shepard incredulously.

Shepard huffs. "Is it really that different from wanting to be choked nearly unconscious?"

Liara blushes a furious indigo, but when she opens her mouth to protest, words fail her. Shepard cocks an eyebrow, daring her to argue.

"No, I suppose not… Is this really something you want?"

Shepard shrugs. "Call it morbid curiosity."

Liara's expression changes from bewildered to thoughtful to intrigued, finally arriving at mildly aroused.

"It would certainly be an interesting challenge," Liara admits, catching her lower lip between her teeth. "I might have a few ideas as to how to simulate some of that sensation. We'd have to discuss boundaries, of course. Set limits—"

"Of course," Shepard agrees quickly. This wasn't the first scene the two of them had negotiated, nor – hopefully – would it be the last. She flashes Liara her best lopsided grin. "Is that a yes, then?"

"Yes. I suppose it is."

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Now**

"Having fun?"

Liara does her best to lace her voice with all the poise and venom and danger she can conjure up. She can tell by the way Shepard's muscles tense that she actually managed to sneak up on her. She draws herself up taller, letting pride fuel her persona.

Shepard grins at her, eager and excited, then scrambles to get back into character. "Sorry, I didn't realize anyone else was in h—"

"I've been watching you," Liara purrs. She trails her hand along the well-defined muscles of Shepard's arm. "You put on quite a show out there. She's beautiful, your little dance partner, isn't she?"

Shepard wets her lips and nods. "Good dancer, too."

"I'm sure." Liara begins to circle her. She keeps her voice just low enough that Shepard gravitates toward her, hanging on her every word. "You know, I can do things to you that she can't even imagine. The way I can make you feel will blow your mind."

She feels downright foolish talking like this, but it seems to work. Shepard's pupils are huge and the color is rising in her cheeks.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Why ruin the surprise?" Liara tsks, hooking a finger under Shepard's chin. "Are you up for it, or aren't you?"

Shepard practically melts. "Take me somewhere?"

Liara only nods before turning on her heel and swinging the restroom door wide. She doesn't have to look back to know that Shepard is following close on her heels like a mesmerized puppy. Still, she reaches blindly for her hand and guides her through the throngs of people in the club. The way Shepard presses close to her back has her pulse beating insistently between her legs by the time they reach the exit.

A private shuttle waits for them as soon as the club's airlock doors shut behind them. It's not a long ride to the suite Liara arranged for the night, but the mounting excitement makes it feel like a voyage to the Far Rim.

Liara is impressed with Shepard's patience; even though she's practically humming with anticipation, she manages to resist trying to kiss her until they've made it to the apartment door. Nevertheless, she can't resist teasing her just a little more. She intercepts Shepard's kiss with a finger to her lips.

"Just a little bit longer."

Shepard groans low in her throat, but she obediently waits for Liara to unlock the door and usher her inside.

The moment she crosses the threshold, Shepard freezes in her tracks. Liara knows exactly why: the dimensions of the small apartment might not be quite right, but every detail – from the elegant furniture to the dim lighting – matches Morinth's former apartment exactly.

"Are you alright?" Liara lets her persona slip in favor of checking in.

Shepard blinks rapidly, taken aback. "How did you know—"

Liara rests a reassuring hand on Shepard's forearm. "Shadow Broker, remember? It was not difficult to find out what her room looked like, nor to replicate it. Is it too much?"

"No, it's perfect." Shepard shakes her head. "This is a pretty fucked up fantasy, isn't it."

Liara smirks. "Maybe a little bit. Do you want to call it off?"

"Not really, no."

"Alright," Liara purrs, shifting back into character before Shepard can second guess herself. She makes all the warmth drain from her gaze and raises her chin imperiously. "Sit down."

The effect is instantaneous. Shepard's breath hitches as she sinks onto the soft leather of the couch. The raw, unchecked lust in her eyes sends a shock right to the base of Liara's spine. She moves forward, straddling Shepard's lap, letting her hips roll and sway. Shepard's hands find her hips and move along with each fluid motion, the hot, hungry pressure of them urging her on. Shepard is practically panting by the time Liara reaches for the zipper at her throat. With a painfully slow, smooth tug, she glides it the whole way down to her navel, baring her breasts to Shepard's smoky gaze.

Shepard stares, transfixed, as Liara slips the rest of the way out of her top. She sinks into her lap and guides her hands up to palm at her breasts, drawing a ragged groan from Shepard's parted lips. Liara echoes the sound, the friction of her hips grinding into Shepard's lap a welcome change from moving against only air. She rolls her hips again and again, shifting close enough to brush her lips over Shepard's ear.

"Do you like that, baby?" Liara croons. It isn't something she'd normally do, but the Ardat-Yakshi she's pretending to be seems to enjoy a little dirty talk. "Could your turian friend do this for you? Could _anyone_ else do this for you?"

Shepard's eyes are so dark she almost looks possessed. "Only you," she gasps. "I only want you."

"Show me."

Moving as if in a trance, Shepard slips the remaining bits of clothing off of Liara's hips. She rises to her feet, lifting Liara as though she were weightless before lowering her onto the sofa. The leather is cool against her bare back, but it warms quickly as Shepard kisses and bites her way across her throat, her collarbone, her breasts. She rakes her nails along the muscles of Shepard's back, then tugs insistently at her shirt. Shepard practically tears off her own top and lets her pants and underwear fall unceremoniously to the floor, unwilling to break contact with Liara's skin any longer than absolutely necessary.

Liara, overwhelmed as usual by the raw power in her movements, is more than ready when Shepard finally slips her fingers inside her. Her own fingers find Shepard's clit, and together they settle into a near perfect rhythm. Liara lets Shepard set the pace – hard and fast and edging closer and closer to desperate with every passing second.

When their kisses devolve into sharp gasps against each other's mouths, Liara threads her free hand into Shepard's hair and holds tight. With their foreheads pressed together and their eyes locked, the words between them are felt rather than heard.

"Do you trust me?"

Shepard doesn't hesitate to answer. "Yes."

"I need you to be sure. Once this starts, you may not be able to safeword out of it," Liara warns.

"I trust you." Shepard's hips begin to buck out of her control as she balances on the edge of her orgasm. "Do it!"

"Alright." Liara breathes deeply, preparing herself for what she's about to do. " _Embrace eternity._ "

She initiates the meld between them, and Shepard accepts her fully and with no hesitation. Through their connection she can feel every ounce of sensation and emotion flooding through Shepard's mind: reckless excitement and breathless apprehension and the first sparks of a powerful orgasm. It takes all her resolve to keep from sharing everything in return. Instead, she delves deeper, _deeper_ , poring through thoughts and memories, searching for just the right—

_There_.

She knew it would be hard, but it's even more painful than she'd imagined to access Shepard's memory of the Normandy being rent to pieces. Alarms blare, crew members dive for escape pods, explosions spew flames that vanish almost instantly, snuffed out in the vacuum of the breached hull. Liara relives it all through Shepard's eyes, right up until the moment she was sucked into the void.

The pain and rage and terror rip through Liara, but she manages to keep it all from reaching Shepard's consciousness intact. Instead, she strips away all context, carefully selecting which sensation to allow Shepard to experience with her, plucking at each one like harp strings, trying to strike just the right chord. She leaves out the rage and the flames and the cacophony. She focuses in on the sudden, gut-wrenching weightlessness and loss of pressure. Liara allows Shepard the full weight of her panic, but she laces it with excitement to keep from overwhelming her entirely.

She could simply stop here. She could keep the sensations nebulous – intense, but vague. This was more than enough to make anyone feel like they were dying.

Then again, Shepard is not just _anyone._ Shepard knows exactly what death feels like. They'd agreed upon this ahead of time; even if she doesn't know the details of Liara's plan, she's given her free rein to make the fantasy as real as possible. Shepard wants this, and Liara is going to give it to her.

Little by little, she lets the details filter from Shepard's memory to her consciousness. She lets her feel the last of the air being sucked away, shocking like a kick in the gut. Shepard's instincts make her hold her breath but – just like when all this was happening to her for real – her training wins out, and she exhales with all her strength. Next comes the surreal sensation of the water in her mouth, nose, and eyes evaporating, bringing with it searing frostbite. Liara allows the excruciating dread to linger for another several seconds before Shepard's blood begins to boil. Finally – mercifully – she lets Shepard's mind go blank.   

For what seems like forever, Shepard feels absolutely nothing. Liara feels all of it for the both of them.

Slowly, gently, Liara dissolves the meld, returning them both to reality. Shepard's limp body is heavy on top of hers, but the weight is comforting. It takes Shepard a little while to regain consciousness once their minds are no longer entwined. She blinks up at Liara with hazy eyes.

Liara helps her roll over onto her back. "Are you alright? How do you feel?"

Shepard stretches her limbs, testing her range of motion in disbelief. "I feel fine. Amazing. Fuck, Liara, that was intense! It felt so real."

Liara bites her lower lip. "It wasn't too much?"

"No. It was perfect." Shepard cups her face with her hand, letting her thumb brush over her cheekbone. "It was exactly what I wanted. Thank you."

Liara sighs in relief and collapses onto Shepard's chest. For a few moments she's content to lie still while they both recover a little. She breathes in Shepard's scent, listens to her heartbeat, reminds herself that – despite the horror they'd both just relived – Shepard is very much alive.

Eventually her curiosity gets the better of her, and even though she's not sure she wants to know the answer, she has to ask. "So, do you want to do this again sometime?"

Shepard laughs and wraps her arms tightly around her. "Fuck, no! Once was more than enough."

Liara laughs along with her, relieved beyond words. "Curiosity sated?"

"Curiosity sated."


End file.
